To Catch a Cheater
by porkeepine
Summary: -Ryella-Troypay- Troy denies that he's cheating on Gabriella, but she knows the truth. She just has to find a way to prove it. She and Ryan plot traps and end up with something more than the satisfaction of catching a cheater. Cowriter: jonesy100000000
1. Chapter 1

**"**_**To Catch a Cheater"**_

_A Ryella Story_

* * *

_Why don't you_

_Come right out and say it?_

_Even if the words_

_Are probably gonna hurt_

_I'd rather have the truth_

_Than something insincere._

_Why don't you_

_Come right out and say it?_

_What it is you're thinking,_

_Though I'm thinking_

_It's not what I wanna hear._

-Come Right Out and Say It

---by Matthew Thiessen of Relient K

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Chapter1: 

"Troy?" Gabriella slowly began, trying to maintain her calm composure. "Where have you been?"

It was a question she had asked him too many times. In fact, the words had slipped off of her tongue exactly 13 times in the past two weeks …she'd counted. See, ever since Kelsi had agreed she'd write them a song for their audition for the Albuquerque Little Theatre's annual production of 'The Music Man', they'd been scheduling daily meeting times to practice chords and such. Much to Gabriella's dismay, Troy had showed up a total of one time… And that was only because Sharpay had to get her hideous creature that she called a dog tested for heartworms.

Of course, Gabriella knew that it was unlikely that that was the actual reason for Troy's sudden punctuality. But she wasn't exactly stupid… she could do the math.

"I was just out, okay? Sheesh. Since when are you my mother?" Troy growled back at her.

"'Since when am I your _girlfriend_?' is more like it! Oh, wait! I _am_ your girlfriend! It's just… _so_ easy to forget when you can never seem to remember!" Gabriella retorted hotly.

"You did _not_ go there _again_! Gabi! I was just …out! Why can't you trust me?!"

Gabriella sighed, began to mutter a reply, then stopped abruptly, holding out her hand as a signal to stop.

"Maybe we should scrap the musical… I mean, with you not trusting me and all," Troy snottily finished, turning on his heel and marching through the auditorium doors again. Gabriella let out a long, dwindling breath and plopped down on a musty-smelling director's chair. She threw her head back and looked upwards, evilly glaring at the monstrous rafters.

"He's with her. I know it… No, he's not… He's used to be so sensitive and caring towards me… But I guess it's over now." Gabriella's thoughts contradicted each other. She felt like she was in one of those movies, where a girl stupidly plucks the petals off of a flower chanting, "He loves me… He loves me not." Or maybe it was more like the Looney Tunes shows where Tweety Bird tries to decide between what the miniature devil is saying into his ear and what the little angel is telling him. No matter what childish comparison fit, she felt stretched. She felt like a blob of overused Silly Putty…

"Gosh, all of a sudden I'm into all these metaphors!" Gabriella muttered out loud, cynically laughing to herself. She then stood, brushing invisible dust off of her lap.

"I've _got _to find a way to prove he's lying. He _is _lying. He is lying!" she screamed, her voice echoing off the wooden beams of the theatre.

"Who's lying?" a voice asked behind her.

Gabriella spun around, her hair swaying to the side.

"Oh, Ryan… It's nothing," she answered, sounding flustered. Ryan approached her, dropping his dance bag by the auditorium entrance.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Yup. I'm peachy!" she tried in a cheery voice.

"Oh… You seem… I dunno," he lightly wondered.

"Oh!" she gave a fake chuckle, glancing at a nonexistent watch on her wrist. "I have to cook dinner before my mom gets home from work. Gotta go!" Gabriella left her things behind, darting through the doors of the auditorium.

"B--bye," Ryan said in a stunned voice, his wide eyes trying to figure out what had just happened. He let out a defeated sigh, and carried his dance bag over to the stage.

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**This was (obviously) the first chapter of this story, which would appear to be my first full-length fanfic, even though it's not. I have created a blog where I will begin posting all of my big, bulky author's notes, so you should REALLY check that out!!! (The link is at the VERY top of my proooofile!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Gee willikers, it's been a long time. I was in brain-vegetation mode for a long time, but thanks to the ever-so-helpful Ali, this story will continue. She wrote the second part of this chapter, which I was originally going to post as the entire thing, but then I ralize that it seemed to need something in between. That's why I added the Sunday night part. So where it says "The Next Day", Ali's part begins. Okay? Okay.**

**--This chapter is dedicated to Ali (shards-o'-toast), and her incredible, Napoleon-Dynamite-worthy skillage.**

* * *

"_**To Catch a Cheater"**_

_A Ryella Story_

* * *

_Chapter 2 _

Chad sat on his living room couch next to Taylor, Kelsi, and Jason. He eyed the high stack of Little Caesar's boxes that had been carelessly set on the table in front of him. Glancing at the others to make sure they had their eyes glued to the television, he reached silently for the top pizza box. He carefully flipped the lid open and was immediately hit with the warm, garlic-y scent. His hand groped for a slice of the gooey goodness, only to be met with a painful smack by someone from behind him. Chad whipped back towards the others on the couch with an innocent look on his face. Taylor flicked her wrist away from where she'd swatted Chad's hand, and gave him a stern look.

"What?!" he asked, upset.

"Chad! I told you already! Nobody eats until Gabriella and Troy get here."

"Oh, come on Tay! I'm so hungry! What if they don't show up?" Chad whined. Taylor simply shook her head at him. Just then, the front door opened, and a flustered-looking Gabriella walked into the room.

"Where have you been?" Kelsi asked. Taylor and Jason looked up at Gabriella expectantly. Chad had already wolfed down an entire two slices of pizza.

"Sorry. My mom forgot that she was supposed to drop me off to get my car from the repair shop, so I had to walk all the way here."

"Where's the hubby?" Jason asked. Gabriella gave him a confused look for a moment.

"Oh! Troy? He told me he would get here a little later." Gabriella answered, recalling the telephone conversation she'd had with her boyfriend.

"He didn't offer to drive you here?" Taylor asked. "Quality."

"Well... Maybe he's just busy."

"Keep tellin' yourself that, Gabriella," Kelsi muttered quietly. Gabriella sighed and set her purse down on the coffee table next to the pizzas.

"Is there room for me?" she asked, gesturing to the sofa where everyone sat. Kelsi and Taylor cleared a space between the two of them, so that their friend could squeeze in.

_**The Next Day...**_

Gabriella woke up on Monday morning, following her usual morning routine. She got up, tied her hair back, and threw on her robe before heading downstairs for breakfast. It was a slow walk down the stairs that seemed longer than usual... probably because she didn't want to tell her mom exactly what had happened the night before.

"Good morning." Gabriella's mom (aka Rosa) said in a cheery tone.

"Hey." Gabriella said somewhat unenthusiastically.

"Did you sleep well?" Rosa said while flipping pancakes.

"Not really…" Gabriella just stared at the plate of steaming pancakes in front of her.

"Oh, I forgot! How was your party last night? You must've gotten home after I went to bed. I don't remember hearing you"

"Fine." Gabriella picked up a fork, and started prodding at her breakfast.

"What did you guys do?" Rosa asked in attempt to get her daughter to talk.

"We ended up just watching a movie."

"Who was there?"

"Just Chad, Taylor, Kelsi, Jason, and me."

"No Troy?"

"Nope." It finally clicked in Rosa's mind why Gabriella was acting the way she was.

"Oh, well. There will be other parties." Rosa stopped, and looked into Gabriella's troubled eyes. "Gabriella, it's 6:15, you should get moving, or you'll be late for school.

"Ok, Mom. Thanks for breakfast, it was really good."

As Gabriella walked away, Rosa looked down at Gabriella's plate of holey pancakes. "But you didn't eat any." She said to herself.

Gabriella got to school fifteen minutes early, as usual. She breathed in the stale air as she walked through the threshold of East High. Everyone seemed unusually energetic for a Monday morning, except her of course. She walked down the hallway to drop off her books at her locker, but noticed first that the locker next to hers was occupied... by none other than Troy.

"Hey Troy." Gabriella said with fake enthusiasm. She uncomfortably hugged him.

"Oh, hey Gabriella." Troy stopped piling all of his books in the locker.

"Did you have a nice weekend?"

"Yeah, I guess. I didn't do much, though," he answered.

"Everyone missed you at the party yesterday."

"Sorry that I couldn't go. My dad was making me run drills all day."

"All day? I'm sorry to hear that." Gabriella said, almost with sympathy.

"Yeah, it was lots of work. I was really tired."

"You could've come to the party and relaxed. All we did was watch a movie."

"You should've called me then. I was home all day." Troy said with a forced smile.

"Oh… I did call."

"You did? When?"

"Around 8:00."

"Oh, I was out with my dad. We were getting dinner." Gabriella could feel Troy getting annoyed.

"Really? He was the one who picked up the phone. He said you were at Chad's house."

"That's right…I went to Chad's house after we got dinner."

"But Chad was at the party."

"Jeez, Gabriella, what's with the third degree?!"

"The third degree? I was just wondering where you were yesterday!"

"Why does it matter that much?"

"Well, I think it would be nice to spend some time together once and a while, seeing as how were in a 'relationship'!"

"What are you talking about? We see each other all the time!"

"No Troy, we don't. You must have me confused with Sharpay."

"Holy crap! Why do you always blame it on Sharpay?! She has nothing to do with it!"

"You were with her lst night, weren't you?" Gabriella quieted down a little.

"I never said that!"

"You didn't have to." Gabriella walked away angrily. She walked down an abandoned hallway. The loud, obnoxious school bell rang, but Gabriella didn't care. She dropped her backpack on the floor, and let her back hit the wall. All of the sudden, she could feel the tears surfacing on her eyes.

"No…stop it!" She screamed to herself, trying to avoid the tears as she was sliding down the wall. She brought her knees to her chest and sighed. Gabriella heard the heels of someone's shoes clicking down the hallway.

'Crap!' She thought. Gabriella quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks after looking to see who was walking down the hall.

"Oh…hey Gabriella," said a cheery voice.

"Hey, Ryan. How's it going?"

"Um…fine. Are you ok?" Ryan asked as Gabriella wiped her tear-stained cheeks.

"Yeah…" Gabriella could feel more tears coming. "Crap…no." She kept wiping at her tears.

"What's wrong? Bad hair day?" Ryan's tone dropped a little. "Is it 'lady troubles'? I get it…I have a sister."

"I hardly find this conversation appropriate."

"You and Troy screaming your heads off in the hallway isn't all that appropriate, either."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that the entire school either heard or saw your little spat with Troy."

"Ugh…Why does today have to be 'Beat up on Gabriella day'?"

"What?"

"First Troy, now you…you know, Ryan, I'm really not in the mood for this drama." Gabriella lifted her head up and let it rest against the wall behind her.

"You know me…drama is my life…well, the good kind of drama anyway. I try to not get mixed up in all of Sharpay's messes."

"Gee…thanks for telling me." There was a pause between them.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Ryan asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." He shrugged his shoulders.

"I was just going to the bathroom…besides, it's only homeroom. You're not missing much."

"That's what I figured." Another pause.

"You know, I'm always here if you need me." Ryan said.

"Really? That's interesting…. you really never leave that spot on the ground?"

"Nope, I am here in this exact spot twenty four hours a day, seven days a week." Gabriella smiled a little.

"You know, Ryan…you shouldn't have told me that."

"Why?"

"Because I might take you up on that offer." Gabriella got up, and straightened her clothes.

"You know where to find me." Ryan said with a smile. Gabriella walked over to him, and gave a slightly awkward hug.

"Thanks for almost cheering me up, Ryan."

"Anytime." Ryan sat there a few more moments, and watched Gabriella walk away from him. He let out a slight sigh, and continued on his journey towards the bathroom.

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**R&R!!! Ali, I'll forward the reviews to you.**

**-Sami**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm embarrassed to say... that my only excuse is laziness. I'm so sorry. I worked hard on this chapter, though! That's something, right? Well, hopefully.**

**I must warn you that the beginning of this chapter is quite lame, as it was an effort to get back into the swing of things. Hopefully you'll notice some improvements later on, though. **

**L'chaim!!!! (I'm in a Fiddler on the Roof mood today :D)**

* * *

"_**To Catch a Cheater"**_

A Ryella Story

-

* * *

_Chapter 3_

* * *

"No way!" Gabriella exclaimed as she entered the auditorium. "I never thought I'd see the day when Troy Bolton would beat me to rehearsal... Oh! I'll bet Sharpay finally got her priorities straight. Did she dump you for her 10:00 mani-pedi?" 

"You never quit, do you?" Troy replied from his place by the piano, where Kelsi sat on the bench, her teeth clenched. Gabriella walked up the aisle angrily. She stomped up the steps that led to the stage and marched to the grand piano.

"This... is not my issue. Sure, it's my fault for being stupid enough to date the most popular guy in all of Albuquerque, but really, the problem is _you_!" Gabriella screamed.

"What?! How am I the problem?! You're the one that's constantly paranoid about stupid things!

"Gosh guys!" Kelsi interrupted.

"What?!" the feuding couple yelled in response.

"What is freaking wrong with you guys?!"

"Kels, this is just a minor argument. Give us like, three seconds to straighten it out, 'kay?" Troy told her. Kelsi folded her arms over her chest and huffed out a sigh.

"Minor, Troy?" Gabriella asked in doubt.

"Yes... Minor."

"Troy, sometimes I wonder... If I were to dump you, would you even care? ...Would you even notice?" she asked him.

"Well, first of all, of course I would notice! Because maybe then, I could live an hour or two without you nagging at me about Sharpay!" he immediately yelled, but then shrunk back, his blue eyes wide. "Wait... You're dumping me?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Gabriella!" he shouted in a stunned, but somewhat unsure voice. "I love you! I planned on staying with you practically forever!" Troy whimpered.

"The 'practically' part is what scares me! Why should I believe you anyways?"

"You just should! Up until recently, you trusted me with everything!"

"You love me then?" she questioned. Troy nodded his head in affirmation. Gabriella sighed. She mentally shoved away the thoughts that told her he was lying - that he didn't really have feelings for her.

"Tell you what. How about you and me get through this right now, and then we'll go on a pizza date," Troy suggested to Gabriella. She looked up into his blue eyes again, and, against her better judgement, she nodded.

Hand in hand, they stood next to the piano, as Kelsi began to play. Troy began to sing his part. Gabriella grinned, momentarilly satisfied.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Troy and Gabriella walked into the pizza parlor hand in hand. Gabriella automatically led him to the counter where a teen guy with greasy black hair was waiting.

"Hi. Welcome to Giorgio's," the guy said in an unenthusiastic voice. "Can I help you?"

"Ummm... I guess so," Gabriella said. "I'd like a slice of pepperoni, and..." She waited for Troy to give his order. After a few seconds with no response from him, she turned towards him to see what was up.

"Troy!" she scolded.

His gaze towards the seating area of the restaurant was broken, and he fell out of his daze. Realizing that he was holding up the line, he shakily hurried with his order. "Um... two slices with everything on 'em," he finally said. The guy pushed some buttons on the cash register, and out popped the top part of the incomplete receipt. As Troy pulled out his wallet to get a head start on finding his credit card, the guy behind the counter grabbed two paper cups with the restaurant's cheap logo stamped on the side, and he prodded them each squarely into a slot in the soda fountain.

"To drink?" he asked, his tiny, slanted gray eyes barely meeting Gabriella's. Gabriella moved her finger to her chin and thoughtfully stroked it back and forth, looking at the Coca-Cola products listed on a handwritten sign beside the counter. She acted as though it were a truly life-impacting decision.

"Sprite?" she suggested. The guy nodded towards Troy, who Gabriella immediately elbowed in the ribs. He looked up from his overcrowded wallet and met his girlfriend's stare. Troy's expression stated that he was utterly confused.

"Fine then, Troy. If you're too socially inept to decide what you freaking want to drink, I'll do it for you," she said in a painfully exasperated tone. "He'll also have a Sprite," she said, directing her attention back to the cashier. He pressed the button on the machine labeled 'PUSH' and quickly scooted one of the cups to the Sprite slot. When the first cup was full, he carefully replaced it with the other. He soon set the full Sprites on the counter and snapped the plastic lids in place. He pressed a few more buttons on the register as more of the adding machine tape came out of the receipt slot.

"Fourteen dollars and..." The boy hesitated, squinting at the total of their meal. "Oh. Fourteen dollars and eighty-two cents."

Troy handed over his American Express, and the guy slid it through. He ripped off the receipt and handed it to Troy, who stuffed it absently into his back pocket. Just then, a Hispanic-looking guy came from the kitchen that was laid out a few yards behind the cash register, carrying three slices of pizza. He hastily slapped the plates on the counter before rushing back to tend to an overflowing deep-fryer. Gabriella gave her thanks to the cashier, and began to steer Troy in the direction of a table in the seating area.

Gabriella suddenly slowed down her stride. "Hey, Troy. Isn't that Sharpay and Ryan?" she asked excitedly, gesturing to a pair of blondes across the room, sitting in a booth. Troy poked out his lips into a subtle pout, and followed his girlfriend to where she was quickly making her way to.

"Sharpay! Ryan! Hi!" she exclaimed. Ryan turned to her with a smile, as Sharpay followed suit with a glare.

"Hey, Gabriella," Ryan greeted. His sister kicked him under the table.

"What are you guys doing here?" Gabriella socialized while Troy stood off to the side. Sharpay answered her question snootily.

"We've been out running errands, and Ry _insisted_ that we stop for lunch." From the corner of her eye, Gabriella noticed Ryan dramatically roll his eyes.

"Oh?" she replied in a curious voice. "What kind of errands?" Sharpay quickly cleared her throat before once again making sure that she was first to speak.

"I had an appointment at 10:00."

Gabriella absorbed this for a moment before smirking. "A mani-pedi?"

Sharpay slowly nodded, giving Gabriella a sideways look. "How did you know?" she asked.

"Lucky guess," Gabriella softly giggled. She was surprised to find that Troy didn't seem to notice the irony, or lack there of. Turning to him, she let out another exasperated sigh.

"Earth to Troy... You with me?" She tiredly waved her hand in front of his blank face. His eyes seemed to automatically blink and look up to her.

"Oh, sorry... I just... spaced out for a second," he mumbled. Gabriella shook her head, sick of his strange behavior. She placed her tray on the table so that it sat parallel to Sharpay's, and invited herself into the small booth. Across the table, Troy hesitantly sat next to Ryan, placing his food directly in front of Gabriella's.

"So Ryan, why'd you go to Sharpay's nail appointment?" Gabriella asked.

Sharpay butted in again before Ryan could even process Gabriella's question. "He wanted to help me with color choice," she answered, as if that were a perfectly normal way for a teenage guy to spend his Saturday.

Troy, who had actually been listening, raised his eyebrows and exaggeratedly scooched away from Ryan as if he had cooties.

Ryan groaned. "No Sharpay. I came with you because you _forced_ me to help you with the color choice," he corrected. "You make me sound so... gay."

Troy relaxed in his seat upon hearing this, and he began to eat his pizza.

"So, did you two come from rehearsals?" Ryan politely asked, noticing an increasing intensity in his sister's harsh brown eyes. He tried not to wince as she once again kicked him, her alligator-skin stilletos gnawing at his skin. She obviously wanted to get Troy and Gabriella away from them.

Gabriella nodded, and imitating Troy, she took a bite of her own slice.

"So you guys are still doing the play..." Sharpay said as more of a realization than a question.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't we be?" Gabriella asked, confused by Sharpay's comment.

"Oh, I don't know," Sharpay said, though she obviously had a reason for saying such things. "You know what, though? Ryan and I really have to be going now," she said, hurriedly gathering the remains of her food on her tray. She draped her purse over her shoulder and winked at Troy. Gabriella gave her boyfriend a weird look.

"Sharpay, I'm not done eating," Ryan protested, not understanding why his sister was so obviously anxious to get away from these two. She gave him an annoyed look.

"Well, then I guess you will just have to stay and hitch a ride off of these... these..._lovebirds_," she said, emphasizing her disgust in the final part. She then pointed her nose upward, and after depositing her tray at the counter, she walked right out the double doors at the restaurant's entrance. Ryan sighed and watched his sister from the window that was conveniently situated beside the booth. He and Gabriella saw her stop beside her bright pink sports car and pull her cell phone - also pink - out of her purse. She pressed a speed-dial digit and placed the phone by her ear in anticipation. Suddenly, Troy's phone began to ring from the pocket at the front of his Wildcats hoodie. Awakened from another bored gaze at his half-eaten pizza, he pulled it out to answer.

"Hello?" he spoke in an almost dead voice. Gabriella and Ryan gave him interested looks as he seemed to immediately perk up at the sound of the voice on the other end.

"Haha. You noticed?" he chuckled to whoever had called. Troy didn't talk for a minute, obviously listening. "Sweeney Todd? That sounds good... Yeah... Okay, bye." Troy finally hung up his cell phone and stuffed it back in his pocket. Gabriella gave him a questioning glare.

"Who was that?" she and Ryan asked at the same time.

"It doesn't matter, but umm... yeah..." There was a nervous pause. "Oh! Hey, you know what, guys?" Troy suddenly burst out, almost as if it had been planned. "I just remembered that I was supposed to um... help my dad, like, fix his car today. So yeah. Is it okay if I go do that now?"

Gabriella glanced back to the window to see Sharpay sitting in her car, apparently waiting to leave. She knew that this was not good. "I guess... so," she replied in a hardly confused voice, though her eyebrows were creased. Troy immediately stood up with his tray, quickly depositing it by the trash can. He then turned around, waved a quick good-bye, and darted out of the restaurant without any further explanation.

"That wasn't obvious," Ryan said sarcastically, looking across the table at the still-confused Gabriella. She shook her head and looked out to the parking lot. She watched through the window as Troy got into his car and drove away, soon followed by the Pepto-Bismol-mobile. Gabriella gave a cynic grin.

"Ha. 10 bucks says he's meeting your sister," Gabriella said to him. Ryan shook his head, feeling pity towards Gabriella.

"I am going to take that bet... but only because I feel sorry for you," Ryan said with a doubtful smile. Gabriella nodded.

"What a douche," she said, and Ryan laughed. "So... Okay, so that was probably her that called, right?"

"Right."

"And... wait. What did he say to her?"

"Something about Sweeney Todd? Hm?" Ryan tried to remember.

"Oh. Right. So what's the plan, then?" she asked.

Ryan thought for a moment. "I say we go to the movie theater and see if they're there."

"Works for me." Gabriella stood up with her tray, and Ryan followed her as they left and went into the parking lot.

* * *

**Not my best, but not my worst either, right? Okay, PLEASE review. I know that I don't deserve it, since I've been such an awful poster, but... forgive me? Remember the lessons you've learned from Veggie Tales? Put that 'Grapes of Wrath' one to good use, pweez? Wow. That was an extremely random tangent there... LOL. Sorry!**

_**-Sami **_**8D**


	4. COWRITER WANTED

**COWRITER WANTED**

**xXxXx**

Guys, I've decided to try to find a cowriter for this story. It doesn't have enough of a plot for me to constantly come up with a new chapter. If you're interested, PM or email me. My email is _halfcrippledpony(at)hotmail. com._ I would prefer someone who has fanfic writing experience._  
_


	5. Chapter 4

"_**To Catch a Cheater"**_

A Ryella Story

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**Please note that this chapter was written by my brand new coauthor, jonesy100000000! All reviews will be forwarded to her :D**

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Chapter 4:

Gabriella was nervous as she walked through the foreboding cinema doors, clutching onto Ryan for support as if she would collapse to the ground if she dared to let go of him. She reminded herself that she had been sure that Troy had being seeing Sharpay for a while now, and that this was nothing new; there was no need to be nervous, she told herself. But now, all was about to be revealed, and suddenly Gabriella wasn't quite so sure that this was a good idea.

"Are you sure that this is the right cinema, Ryan?" Gabriella questioned as she watched him hand over card to pay for their tickets.

"If he is with Sharpay, then yes, it is the right cinema; it's the only one she likes going to. Something about the good looking staff."

"Oh," Gabriella murmured, "Ryan, maybe this wasn't the best plan. Um… perhaps I should go home… work on my lines for the musical or something."

As she turned to go, Ryan caught her slender arm and spun her back to him with the skill of a true dancer and looked deeply into her soft, brown eyes.

"Hey, I know you're nervous, but you don't want to stand me up do you?" he commented, cocking his head to the side and holding out his arm in a gentlemanly manner.

"I guess not, seeing as I am already here," she laughed happily taking his arm, momentarily forgetting the real reason why she was here, as Ryan guided her into the cinema and to their seats.

Once they'd sat down Gabriella started looking around for any sign of Troy. The cinema was not too crowded, although the dim light made it harder to see much else apart from the wide screen in front of her and the shadows that danced around the edges. Ryan too had also searched for his sister, although in a more casual manner than the girl beside him. A high pitched laugh caught both Ryan and Gabriella's attention.

"Was that…"

"Yes, it's Sharpay," Ryan finished for her, disgust evident in his voice, as they listened to Sharpay loudly scold Troy in a joking manner for something that she had apparently found hilarious.

Ryan sensed the tension within Gabriella and put his hand over hers. When she didn't immediately remove it, he leant over and whispered into her ear, "Take a few deep breaths and relax. Just forget about them and enjoy the movie."

Gabriella was not a huge fan of horror movies even though she was not particularly squeamish. However, as Sweeney Todd played, she found herself instinctively drawing closer to Ryan who took it as his cue to put his arm around her and was pleasantly surprised she did not shrug it off. He wanted to do nothing more than protect and keep her safe from all the pompous, arrogant, basketball-playing, rat.

As the credits rolled, both Ryan and Gabriella remained where they were, Ryan's arm still around Gabriella, until they saw Sharpay and Troy get up to leave. Ryan and Gabriella ducked below their seats as the other couple passed by. They were shocked to hear Troy say that he could have sworn he had caught a glimpse of Ryan, but were able to breath again when Sharpay sharply stated that it could not have been Ryan as he far too much of a wimp to come and see a movie with blood in it.

A few more moments passed before an embarrassed Ryan emerged from his hiding place, and cautiously extended his hand to Gabriella to assist her with standing up.

"Thanks," she breathed as she stood up and brushed herself off. An awkward silence passed between them and Gabriella sensed that Ryan was trying to compose himself after Sharpay's comment. She gently took his hand and gave it a squeeze before they both turned and began to walk out of the cinema having made sure that Troy and Sharpay had left the building. By now Gabriella was overcome with rage, and started to vent the anger that had been building throughout the movie.

"That two-faced, lying, good for nothing toad… I can't believe him. He makes it so obvious as well. I… I…" Gabriella seethed trying to formulate her tangled web of angry thoughts before breaking down into hysterical sobs on Ryan's shoulder, "How I am supposed to live without him, carry on. I loved him, still love him."

"Why don't you get even," Ryan said suddenly but quietly, causing Gabriella to stop her torrent.

"Sorry?"

"Don't break up with him, but get your own back; cheat on him."

"With who? Chad's going out with Taylor at the moment. I couldn't do that to her. I'd be as bad as Troy," she sniffed.

"What about me?" Ryan exclaimed, "or have I suddenly become invisible?"

"Oh Ryan," Gabriella laughed wiping away her tears, "Sorry, I didn't mean to forget about you. No offense."

"None taken," he replied with a hint of humor, as he once again held out his arm to escort her to his car.

As Ryan drove Gabriella back to her home, he couldn't fail to notice her beauty as she silently sat there beside hem, trying to look composed, while in reality her mind was racing over all the truths that had been revealed. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice when Ryan had pulled up at her house in his convertible, got out and opened her door.

"We're home," laughed Ryan as he watched her snap out of her trancelike state and hurriedly climb out.

"So, on Friday do you want to come over to 'study' until 8?" Ryan asked.

"But I promised Troy and Kelsi I would start rehearsals for the musical at 7:30."

"Precisely the point, Gabi. I, too, am supposed to be with Sharpay, the angel, at 7:45 but seeing as how she is always late from hanging around with Troy, that I don't see why we shouldn't get out own back."

"Ryan – I like your style. I would love to 'study' with you on Friday."

"Perfect. See you tomorrow Gabs," he said, a smile on his face as he held her hand and kissed it.

The brown haired girl returned the smile before entering her house and shutting the door behind her. She took a deep breath. She was cheating on Troy Bolton with Ryan Evans.

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**Haha. This chapter has taken a turn that I did not see coming! Kudos to jonesy100000000 for her amazing work and coauthorshipness! Please read and review! I'll hopefully have a new update for you soon :D**


	6. Chapter 5

"_**To Catch a Cheater"**_

A Ryella Story

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**By Sami  
**

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Chapter 5:

The next day, Gabriella walked into the Evans' huge kitchen and was immediately greeted by Ryan.

"Hey, Gabriella," he said, pouring a glass of milk at the counter and taking a swig.

"Hey," she replied.

"Want some milk?" Ryan asked her as he lowered the glass from his lips, leaving a ring of white around his mouth.

"No thanks," Gabriella chuckled lightly, and grabbed a napkin from the dispenser in the kitchen table. She walked over to him, and reaching her hand to his face, she wiped the milk away. "Goofball."

"I'm choosing to take that as a compliment."

"You do that," she smiled, backing away and throwing the crumpled napkin at him. It ricocheted off his skull and fell to the floor.

"Thanks," he grinned, bending down to pick the napkin up. When he stood again, he tossed the trash into the can, missing his target by about a foot. Gabriella rolled her eyes. "So why are you at my house anyway?" he asked her, ignoring the napkin on the floor.

"Oh," she uttered. Her smile fell, and she stared at her feet, which were adorned with beaded moccasins.

"What?"

"I um… I wanted to talk to you about our little _plan_," Gabriella then nervously checked behind her to make sure no one else had heard what she'd said. "Is Sharpay home?"

"Uh, yeah. I think she's in the den watching _One Tree Hill_ or something equally lame… Maybe we should go upstairs so she doesn't, like… hear," Ryan suggested. Gabriella nodded. Ryan grabbed his half-filled glass of milk and led Gabriella to the long, winding staircase. When they reached the top, and were safely in Ryan's room, they shut and locked the door behind them. Gabriella laid cautiously on Ryan's bed, and Ryan took a seat in the swivel chair at his computer desk.

"Sooo… What's on your mind?" Ryan asked. Gabriella shrugged.

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea," she said quietly.

"_What_'s not a good idea, exactly?"

"The whole 'cheating on Troy' thing," she replied.

"Oh…"

"Yeah."

"Why not?" he asked, hoping not to sound pushy.

"Well, it just seems… _wrong_. I mean, yeah he's a douche bag and everything, but wouldn't we just be sinking to his level? If we're going to get back at him, first of all, I think we should be completely sure that he's actually cheating. And--"

"You saw them, though. At the movies?" Ryan prodded. Gabriella shook her head.

"They were just there, though. I mean, I didn't really see them _do_ anything, did you?"

"Well… no. But he _did_ completely blow you off," he argued.

"Yeah, and I want to get back at him for that. I really do. I just don't want to feel guilty while I'm doing it," she explained. "I don't want to have to always wonder whether he really cheated on me or not. You know?"

"What else would he be doing at the movie theater with my sister when he was supposed to be at the pizza place with you?"

"I don't know… But I plan to find out," she said. Ryan nodded.

"Yeah. Well, you don't have to go through with this if you don't want to."

"Thanks…" Gabriella felt awkward. She sincerely hoped that Ryan knew that it was nothing against him specifically; she just really felt uncomfortable cheating on her boyfriend. "You'll still help me though, right?"

"Sure… Of course," he replied, pasting a smile to his face. "How?"

"I'm not quite sure. I mean, we'll obviously need some kind of a plan," she said, standing up and pacing across the floor in thought. After a moment, she suddenly stopped. "I might have just thought of something. It's kind of lame, but we could try it at least."

"All right. I'm up for anything," he replied. She walked over to where he was seated at the computer desk.

"Move." Ryan quickly got out of his chair so she could sit, and he walked to the bed to lay down, just as Gabriella had a few minutes before. Gabriella turned to Ryan's laptop, and opened it, turning it on. After it had loaded a bit, she called him over. "It needs a password," she said.

He walked over and typed something real quick, then went back to the bed. Gabriella waited for the computer to finish doing its thing before clicking on the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop.

"Ugh," she groaned. "I hate Internet Explorer."

"Get over it, babe," he replied, and she stuck out her tongue at him. "Oh yeah. I feel like, _so_ burned," he said sarcastically.

"Shut the hell up," she said back. He put his finger to his lips in a scolding manner.

"Shhh! Language, Montez!" he teased. "I like to keep it G-rated."

"Pussy," she muttered with a small smile.

"Hey! What did I just say?!" he joked. She rolled her eyes.

"You know, for the co-president of the drama club, you're pretty bad at that whole, um… acting thing."

"Gasp! You bitch!"

"Well, well, well, Mr. 'Keepin' It G-Rated,'" she laughed.

Ryan pretended to plug his ears. "I'm not listening, I'm not listening," he repeated.

"So mature," Gabriella said sarcastically. "I wanna be _just_ like you when I grow up, Ryan."

"Shut it, and get on with your little boyfriend sabotage."

"Thought you weren't listening," she grinned to herself, turning back to the laptop. Yahoo! had opened as the homepage, and Gabriella let the cursor wander down to the 'Create Account' link.

"So, what is this _brilliant_ plan, anyway?" Ryan asked her.

"I wouldn't call it brilliant. All I'm doing is trusting in the fact that Troy is the dumbest, most oblivious being on the planet."

"Okay… You didn't answer my question, though."

"I'm setting up an email account," she said plainly.

"And… ?"

"I'm creating it under your sister's name."

"So what?"

"Well, hopefully I can email Troy, and he'll think it's her. Then he'll respond… and all his secrets… shall be revealed," she said, emphasizing the last part and adding a "Muahahaha!" for effect.

"Right. And what exactly will you put in this email? 'Hey Troy! Are you cheating on Gabriella?'" Ryan mocked skeptically.

"No…" she replied defensively. "Yes."

Ryan sighed. "Give me that." She handed him the computer. He leaned back into the headboard and placed the laptop on his belly. He then clicked 'Compose,' and when the blank message box opened, he began to type an email to Troy.

Ryan read out loud as he formed the message so that Gabriella would know what was going on. "Hey, Troy. It's Sharpay. Sorry I changed my email without telling you first, but my old one…" He thought for a moment. "…wouldn't let me log in anymore." Gabriella walked over to the bed and laid down beside him to watch. Ryan stopped reading since it was no longer necessary.

He continued to type: "i was wondrin, neways, if u could meet me at zekes paty 2morrow."

"You spelled party wrong," Gabriella corrected. Ryan groaned, and continued to ignore the mistake.

"maybe we could fool around afterwards or sumthing," he continued to type. "let me no. xoxo S." Ryan finished typing, and Gabriella nodded her approval. She leaned over and typed in Troy's email address, assuming that Ryan didn't know what it was, then quickly changed Ryan's intentional spelling errors.

"Gabriella, it's supposed to be that way. Sharpay isn't smart enough to spell all that right. You know that."

"Fine, then," she huffed in reply, pressing 'Send.' Ryan closed the laptop and looked to the girl beside him, their eyes meeting.

"Well, that's done. What do you wanna do now?" he asked.

"Actually, I should be getting to rehearsal right about now."

"Oh… okay."

Gabriella leaned over and gave Ryan a quick peck on the cheek before standing up and walking to the bedroom door to let herself out. She opened it, but after a moment she turned back around to face Ryan, whose hand was placed on his cheek where her lips had been seconds before. He quickly moved it as soon as he realized she was still looking at him.

"Wanna come with me?" she asked. Ryan quickly nodded, and jumped out of the bed.

-

* * *

-

Troy knocked on the Evans' front door, and was quickly let in by Sharpay. She hurriedly pushed him into the foyer and slammed the door behind him.

"Gabriella's upstairs with Ryan," she whispered. Troy's eyes widened, and Sharpay forced him into the den, flicking off the T.V. as she went.

"Wait, wait, wait. My ass is vibrating," Troy said.

"Huh?"

Troy pulled his vibrating cell phone out of his back pocket, and Sharpay's face relaxed with understanding. He flipped the phone open and pressed a few buttons. Sharpay took in the confused facial expression that suddenly appeared on him.

"What's up?" she asked.

"New email… from... _you_?" he questioned. Sharpay furrowed her brow.

"I haven't emailed you since like, three days ago."

"Huh… Weird," he said suspiciously. "Whatever. I just came over to see if you were gonna come with me to rehearsal."

"Oh."

"So… Do you want to come?" he asked.

"Ummm... Nah. I'll stay here and watch T.V. There's a soaps marathon today."

"'Kay. I guess Gabriella will be taking off soon, so I better get out of here before she sees the truck."

"Bye."

"See ya."

-

* * *

**-**

Ryan and Gabriella walked into the theater, arms linked. Kelsi turned when she heard the door open, and she immediately sighed in relief when she saw them.

"You're late," she said.

"Aw, we're glad to see you too, Kels," Gabriella said. "Um, you too Troy," she quickly added, mainly to avoid the awkward situation. He politely nodded from his seat next to Kelsi at the piano bench, looking curiously at the spot where Gabriella and Ryan's elbows were linked.

Gabriella released Ryan's arm and climbed up the stage, walking over to the piano. She shot Ryan a nervous glance, and he responded with a wink of encouragement. She nodded and slid in next to Kelsi at the piano bench. Kelsi began to play, and the rehearsal had begun.

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**-**

After rehearsals, Ryan drove Gabriella home in his car, the same way they'd arrived. When he pulled into Gabriella's driveway, there was an awkward lull.

"Wanna come inside or something?" she asked. He shook his head.

"I better not."

"Okay, then. I have to go. I'm supposed to cook dinner anyways, so yeah."

"See ya," he said.

She nodded. "Later. And thanks so much for everything today." She shut the passenger door after climbing out of the car, and waved to Ryan as he drove away. Ryan arrived back at his house a few minutes later and retired to his room, all the while thinking about how much he hated Gabriella's conscience.

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**YAY! Sorry for the long wait, guys. Unfortunately, you're probably used to that by now, though...**

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_Jonesy's Review Replies for Chapter 4:_

**SharpayEvansBolton12:** thanks

**xzashleyxashleyx:** thanks

**MOiRA: **I can't wait either to see how it will develop.

**star jelly:** I know what you mean, but you'll just have to be patient.

**firedragongirl:** I'm glad you thought it was funny but it honestly wasn't intentiaonally meant to be, so it probably works better like that.

**A c t i n g-Is-A-P a s s i o n:** Ryella is good and personally everyone needs a bit of Ryella in their lives.

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**Thank you, oh ye faithful reviewers! R&R!!**


	7. Chapter 6

**--This chapter was written by the fantastic jonesy. All credit goes to her **:D

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"_**To Catch a Cheater"**_

_A Ryella Story_

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_Chapter 6  
_

'The weirdest thing happened to me today Ry,' Sharpay stated as the two blond haired Evans twins were sitting in the den watching Devil Wears Prada.

Rolling his eyes, Ryan replied, 'What Shar? You saw someone else wearing the same outfit although it was supposed to be unique? Your rat on a string, that you claim is a dog, didn't try and bite the mailman's ankles? You…'

'Shut up Ryan. And just so you know, Blondie is _pedigree _dog. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Troy came round earlier while you were upstairs.'

'What's so weird about that, it happens nearly everyday?'

Sharpay was becoming more and more impatient with her brother, 'Ryan, will you stop interrupting me and let me finish what I was saying.'

'Like anyone could stop you,' mumbled Ryan under his breath, however Sharpay heard him and glared at him to shut up.

'Yes ma'am,' Ryan joked, saluting her, quickly putting his hand back down when Sharpay shot him a death glare.

'Enough with the dramatics,' snapped Sharpay, to which Ryan inwardly laughed at, although his outward appearance did not change. Sharpay was the most dramatic person he knew so she could hardly claim that he was being dramatic. 'As I was _attempting_ to say, when Troy was round here, he got an email that was supposed to be from me from a different address as my old account was blocked. The thing is, my account will let me log in and I haven't opened a new one. Also, why would I send Troy an email when he was coming here anyway?'

Once again, Ryan kept his outer appearance completely devoid of all true emotion while his insides were doing summersaults from nearly being found out. _Sharpay knew_. There could be know other reasonable explanation as to why she had initiated this conversation otherwise; she wanted an admission from Ryan himself to evidence her theories.

'Maybe it was someone's idea of a practical joke, Shar?'

'Maybe you had something to do with it,' stated Sharpay bluntly, tired of skirting around her true line of questioning. Also, seeing Ryan's reaction if he was guilty would be the icing on top of the cake; he would try and lie but as his twin she'd always see right through it, the scratch of his nose and absentmindedly running his hand through his blond hair were the tell tale signs to look out for. Then, when further investigated he'd try and act all innocent as if he had had nothing to do with it despite knowing that he was already caught.

'Why would I do something that juvenile?' Ryan questioned. Sharpay waited for a few moments. The sign would be there. She smiled to herself as she watched Ryan raise his hand and run it through his hair.

'I wouldn't put it past you. Anyway no-one but you knows that I'm good friends with Troy.'

Ryan scoffed, 'I'd hardly call you and Troy _good _friends. He sees you more than he sees his own girlfriend and what about the other day; he blew Gabs off at the pizza place to see you. The worst part is that he isn't even subtle when he does it, it's so obvious. If I was in Troy's position I would have at least the decency to split up with Gabs first.' Ryan froze momentarily, the cogs of his brain beginning to click, before dashing from the room and quickly saying something about feeling ill, leaving an annoyed and confused Sharpay still sat on the sofa.

* * *

When Ryan had got home after dropping Gabriella back home after the rehearsal he had immediately locked himself in his room. He picked up a photo on his desk of him, Sharpay, Gabriella and Troy that had been taken after the winter musicale, and threw it across his room where it hit the wall, the glass frame shattered into pieces littering his floor in sharp debris. He was angry. Angry at a lot of things, how anyone could cheat on Gabriella and lie about it when questioned was the main one, his sister for hurting Gabriella by being with Troy, at Gabriella's conscience. The last one he knew he didn't have a right to feel as angry as he did about her conscience but he did. Ryan could be very selfish when he wanted; he thought he might have had a shot with Gabriella now that that basketball playing idiot was cheating on her but now because of her conscience he had been demoted back to 'friend without a chance'. Life could be so unfair, especially to him, he decided.

* * *

Decency: correct and tasteful standards of behaviour as generally accepted.

Selfishness: thinking of one's own pleasure or good, not caring much about other people.

Now Ryan was pacing his bathroom. If he was Troy, he'd break up with Gabriella first. The decent thing to do. Decent. Honest. So why did he get so angry when that was what Gabs had wanted to do. Selfishness. Pure and simply, selfishness. He had been so close to being able to be with her, hold her and comfort her. For once in his seventeen years of life, Ryan really did hate himself. He had often considered himself to be a decent guy and a true gentlemen and people like Troy to be lowlife scum with no manners. He'd never outwardly display these thoughts however because it was too much of a risk; bullies would make his life worse than they already tried to, but that could never stop Ryan from thinking. But now he was as bad as, if not worse, than the douche bag, Troy. By asking Gabriella to get back at Troy by cheating on him, he had sunk to the lowest of the low. In another random outburst, Ryan swept his hand across the shelf above the sink, sweeping the assorted items onto the tiled bathroom floor with an almighty crash. Stupid, stupid, stupid. That's what Ryan was. How could she even look at him, let alone like him? Ryan had blown all his chance now; Gabriella must hate him. Groaning, Ryan sank to the floor, his back leaning against the door, his head cradled in his arms.

Ryan wasn't sure how long he'd sat there but he guessed it must have been quite a while as his neck was stiff and his bottom numb. He was roused from his stupor by a soft knocking on the door.

'Ry? Ry, are you alright in there? Can I come in?' Sharpay's voice softly drifted through the wooden door. Ryan shifted from behind the door but still continued to sit on the floor as his blond haired twin slowly opened the door and slipped in, her eyes taking in the mess. 'What happened in here?' Sharpay questioned, sitting down next to him, pulling his head onto her lap and stroking his hair. To ask if he was ill would have been pointless; Sharpay knew Ryan too well and had known he'd been faking sick when he'd suddenly left her in the den

'She hates me,' Ryan commented, and the sheer impact of his words hit him like a ton of bricks and he broke down crying into Sharpay's lap, while she stroked his blond hair comfortingly.

'I highly doubt that she hates you. What's there to hate? You're a lovable guy, a true gentleman even, easily the nicest guy at East High. You are just over-reacting.'

Ryan took a deep breath, trying to regain control on his emotions and sort through the conflicting thoughts and feelings before answering his sister, who when it came down to the wire, only had his best interests at heart. Even when she seemed to want to spend more time with Troy and forget Ryan's existence, Sharpay still cared for him and always would; no-one could break through the Evans twins strong bond.

On the one hand, Ryan could tell her the truth; that he wanted Gabriella to cheat on Troy with him. This would probably break through his temporary cap on his emotions and cause him to become angry again but in the end he would feel better having confessed his guilt to someone who actually cared and wanted to listen to him. However, Ryan could also lie. This probably would not work as he would be lying to his twin sister who had already just proved that she could see through his lies far too easily but at least he would not get angry. He had already trashed the bathroom and parts of his room thanks to his uncontrollable rage and he didn't know what would happen if he got angry again; the last thing that Ryan wanted to do was to hurt Sharpay, and that was a distinct possibility if he told her the truth. Ryan opened his mouth.

* * *

'Hey Troy,' Gabs said, opening her front door later on in the evening after the rehearsal. She had known that he had been annoyed at her when she had shown up earlier that day on the arm of Ryan Evans, having insisted with Ryan that they were only friends because her conscience would not allow anything else all the while she was still dating Troy Bolton. Anyway, she hadn't really been 'on the arm of', Ryan was just being the sweet gentleman she knew he could be by helping her out of the car and walking into the auditorium. However, she also knew Troy Bolton and she knew he would be insanely jealous of her even if she wasn't cheating on him. She also knew from the looks that he had given her and Ryan throughout the rehearsal; he was going to be on her doorstep later that evening. Once again the freaky math girl was not wrong, judging by the sincere looking boy that was currently standing on her front porch. Gabriella also knew that this could easily blow up in her face if she said the wrong thing.

'Come in,' said Gabriella opening the door wider allowing Troy to step through into the foyer. She leaned up to give him a kiss but he turned his head slightly so she ended up kissing his cheek. This wasn't going to be good.

'So, you are going to the dance rehearsal tomorrow aren't you? Would it be possible to pick me up?' Gabriella questioned in an attempt to make conservation.

Troy shrugged, 'If I wouldn't be imposing.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Well I'd hate to get in the way of anything that's going on between you and the showdog.'

'His name is Ryan and further more, you do not have the right to come round here and start throwing petty accusations at me; not when your own past is hardly in honour of a sainthood.'

'Excuse me?'

'Forget I said anything,' Gabriella copped out. She hadn't meant to say anything to Troy about him cheating on her but then she hadn't been anticipating his response.

'No Gabriella. I won't forget. What are you trying to ascertain?' Troy replied forcefully, moving closer towards Gabriella causing her to have to step back so her back was pressed against the wall, while Troy gripped her shoulders. The situation was going downhill fast and so Gabriella pushed Troy off her as gently as she could while still achieving her aim and went to sit on the couch in the sitting room, her head in her hands. Troy followed her, the dark look on his face not dissipating as he waited for his answer.

Gabriella sighed and raised her head so that she could look her boyfriend in the eye, 'I just feel like you're shutting me out Troy. You rarely ever see me these days. You can never be bothered to turn up on time for the musical rehearsals. I'm really confused right now. I thought everything was going perfectly. What did I do wrong?' After her little soliloquy Gabriella bowed her head.

Troy moved so that he was now sat next to her on the couch and wrapped a comforting arm around his girlfriend's shaking shoulders as she took deep shuddering breaths as she attempted to control the tears cascading down her cheeks.

'Gabriella, you did nothing wrong. You're perfect, more than perfect even. I'm sorry for neglecting you. I've just been stressed out what with schoolwork and basketball is even harder this year as our coach is making us practice ten times harder and my dad is making me practice even harder at home and all that on top of the musical is just added pressure. I promise I'll make it up to you. How about this Friday after rehearsal? We could go out for dinner and catch a movie or whatever you want to do. What do you say?'

'Troy, I want to believe, I really do but you were supposed to be with me when we went to the pizza place but we'd only been there about ten minutes before you ditched me. If we do go out on a date, which I'd love to, then you have to be completely committed to me for the duration of the entire evening, understood?'

'Absolutely. You will be the sole object of my affections for the entire evening. Nothing will stop us having this date.'

Gabriella turned round to face him and sat on his lap and hugged him tightly, 'Thank you, thank you Troy. I love you so much. I hated the void that came between us.'

'Me too and I love you too Gabs,' Troy replied hugging her close to him and breathed in her scent. He hadn't realised how much he had actually missed it until that moment, 'I'd better go now though, Dad wants me home early so that I can be up early to do some additional training before the before-school training session starts.'

Gabriella got off Troy's lap and allowed him to walk to the front door, following him a step behind. He opened the door and turned round to give her a goodnight kiss.

'Bye Gabs.'

'Bye Troy.'

'Oh, and in answer to your earlier questions; yes and yes.'

'Yes?' queried Gabriella.

'Yes, I am going to the rehearsal and yes I will pick you up.'

'Cool, thanks Troy,' Gabriella smiled, leaning up to give him another quick kiss, 'See you tomorrow.' As she watched Troy leave, she pushed down the nagging thought of the way Troy had said that on Friday she would be 'the sole object of his affections' and let her heart rule her head. If her head had won the battle, then she would have been up all night pondering the hidden meaning of those words and how much depth Troy's apology had.

* * *

Jealous: desiring to have what belongs to another.

If truth be told, Ryan Evans was jealous. He might be a rich kid but he was still jealous; jealous of Troy Bolton. He always had been; Troy was more popular, had all the girls, could play basketball, and could sing (although this talent had been discovered more recently). Those who thought that Ryan had everything were wrong, Troy had everything. And now he even had Gabriella Montez, the only girl that Ryan had really liked who wasn't his sister. Ryan was most definitely jealous.

'Ry?'

'I… I… I,' Ryan stammered.

'I want the truth Ry. There's no point in lying to me,' said Sharpay quietly into Ryan's ear as they were still sat on Ryan's bathroom floor amidst the mess that Ryan had created earlier.

Ryan stood suddenly, 'You want to know the truth? The truth is I love Gabriella Montez but oh no, Troy Bolton has her. She was going to go out with me, we even went to the movies together, but her conscience can't handle cheating on Troy. It's not fair, he's not even right for her.' Ryan drew back his fist, and punched his bathroom mirror, shattering it and lacerating his hand where it rapidly was covered with his blood.

Sharpay was slightly frightened by Ryan's outburst but that still did not stop her from cautiously making her way over to where Ryan was cradling his damaged hand.

'You really like her don't you,' Sharpay whispered as she washed his hand under the tap as gently as she could so that the blood was washed away. Then Sharpay left his bathroom and a couple of minutes returned with some alcohol and bandages where she begun to clean out his cuts with the alcohol and wrapping the hand in the bandages with the love and care that a mother might give her small child. Once she had finished administrating her care, she took Ryan's good hand and slowly led him away from the bathroom and into his room. She pulled back the covers of his bed and Ryan lay down on the bed. Sharpay pulled off his t-shirt, taking care not to move his hurt hand too much, and pulled the covers back up over his body.

As she made to leave the room, Ryan reached out to held her arm and said in a small voice, 'Please stay Shar. I don't want to be alone.'

Sharpay looked back at her brother and her heart broke for him. He looked so lost and alone, almost like a small puppy, that she set aside her own personal feelings for once in her life.

'I'll be right back, Ry,' Sharpay said gently as she once more left Ryan alone but this time she returned with pillows and a duvet which she then proceeded to set up on the floor next to her brother's bed.

'Maybe you should just talk to her tomorrow,' Sharpay said once she was settled into her makeshift bed, 'Night Ry.'

'Night Shar, and thanks.'

* * *

Ryan stretched out as he was awoken by the sun's rays shining through the curtains, illuminating his room with a soft glow.

'Morning sleepyhead,' Sharpay said with a smile, 'How's the hand?'

Ryan gingerly touched his hand and immediately recoiled, 'Still really painful.' He sat up in bed making sure that he didn't move his injured hand too much and looked around his room. 'What happened to the photo?'

'I cleared it up earlier, and the mess in the bathroom. I can't believe you made so much mess over Gabriella,' replied Sharpay grinning at her brother to denote that she was only joking.

Ryan laughed, 'Yeah, I guess I may have slightly overreacted to the whole situation but you've made enough mess over Troy to last a lifetime.'

'Have not,' shot back Sharpay quickly.

'Please Shar, the winter musicale; last summer at the club, need I go on?' Ryan drawled.

'Fine,' Sharpay pouted, secretly glad that her brother was no longer in the foul mood he had been in the day before.

Ryan made to get out of bed, temporarily forgetting his bandaged hand, and winced in pain.

'We'll have to get that seen to today Ry, you may have broken it.'

'Oh great, just to add to all of my problems,' he replied as he stood up and made his way to the bathroom, 'I'll phone Gabriella when I come out.'

When Ryan reappeared from his bathroom ten minutes later dressed, he noted that his sister had left. He walked over to his computer desk and picked up his mobile phone.. He typed in Gabriella's number and heard the ringing. After five rings, she answered, 'Hey Ry, what's up?'

'Oh, not much. Just wondering if you wanted a lift to the rehearsal today?' Ok, so that wasn't the real reason he had phoned her and he wouldn't have been able to drive himself judging by the amount of pain emitting from his injured hand, and he wasn't even moving it. Anyway, she didn't know that.

'That's sweet of you Ry, but Troy is picking me up today,' Gabriella answered with a cheery voice.

'Troy. Troy Bolton. But I thought that he was cheating on you,' Ryan said darkly and if Gabriella had been in the room with him having the conversation she would have noticed that his dark voice was mirrored by an equally, if not more so, dark look on his face.

'Yes that Troy Bolton, Ryan. He came round last night after you dropped me off. He explained he was just stressed out with his hectic schedule on the road of life.'

'Christ, you're so naive Gabriella. You honestly think he's not cheating on you.' Ryan was now raising his voice. He couldn't believe Gabriella.

'I am not being naïve Ryan Evans; he said it sincerely and I believe him. We're going out on Friday, not that it's any of your business.'

'I thought you were meant to be smart! When did you stop believing what you can see with your own eyes,' Ryan practically shouted down the phone. Once again his temper was getting the better of him and it was all down to the brown haired girl on the other end of the line. If the conversation kept going then Ryan was likely to do something that he would regret.

'Don't you dare insult my intelligence Ryan, I know what I'm doing…' seethed Gabriella before being interrupted.

'Oh, really? Doesn't sound like it to me,' Ryan said in a low but snooty voice. This was an all time low, even for him who had always willingly gone along with his sister's hair-brained schemes when it came to beating out Troy and Gabriella, or any other potential couple, from singing in 'their' musicals.

'Look, if all you're going to do is insult me, then this conversation is over.'

Shouting Ryan replied, 'Fine! Call me when you want to catch a cheater!'

Ryan hung up the phone before Gabriella could say anything further on the matter and using his good hand, hurled it at the bed. He turned around when he heard Sharpay snickering at him from his bedroom doorway.

'Temper, temper,' she reprimanded him softly, with a rare twinkle in her which was reserved for only three people in her life, Ryan, her father, and Troy.

'Were you eavesdropping?'

'Unintentionally: yes. To start with you were shouting at the top of your voice, which I hate to remind you won't do your vocal cords any good, and secondly I was coming to tell you that I'm taking you to the hospital to get yor hand seen to, as it looks awful and then we need to go to the rehearsals.' With that said, Sharpay purposefully ushered Ryan out of his room and into her car.

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**R&R!**


	8. Chapter 7

**I know that this chapter is short and kind of crappy. Especially considering how long I've gone without writing it. I feel really bad; I've just been so caught up in school stuff. I promise that next time it's my turn to write the chapter, I'll update much sooner. I'm finally getting organized.**

* * *

_**Chapter 8**_

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"Good morning, Beautiful," a voice said to Gabriella through the phone. Only a minute after her argument with Ryan, the phone had begun to ring again.

"Awe, Troy," she said with a wide grin.

"When should I be there to get you?" he asked. She thought for a moment.

"Like, an hour?"

"Alright, Babe. I'll see you then."

"Love you."

"I love you too..." Gabriella replied wistfully, closing her phone and running to her closet to pick out the day's outfit.

A half an hour later, she had showered and dressed and was almost ready to go. She walked downstairs to find a plate of sausage and eggs wrapped in Saran wrap, laid out on the kitchen counter with a note.

_Had to go to the office early. Eat your breakfast, and good luck at rehearsals! Love, Mom_

She unwrapped the plate and slipped it into the microwave, setting the timer for thirty seconds. After pulling it back out, she quickly ate, then ran back upstairs to brush her teeth. She brushed on some light makeup as well, deciding to look her best for Troy.

Gabriella sat around and watched morning talk shows on TV for the following fifteen minutes. When the doorbell rang, she was on my her feet, anxious to get there. When she opened the door Troy stood, his outstretched arm gripping a bouquet of grass and dandelions. Gabriella chuckled.

"You'd think we were going to prom with flowers this nice," she teased.

"I picked them, 'cause they were pretty and reminded me of you."

She looked at the drooping weeds. "That's so cheesy."

"I thought so too," he admitted. Laughing, Gabriella slipped on a pair of ballet flats that was laying next to the door, and they left the house and got into Troy's truck.

They got to rehearsals before even Kelsi was there. Excited to have so much time on her hands, Gabriella pulled Troy on the stage with her.

Troy and Gabriella goofed around for the following ten minutes, until Kelsi showed up. When Kelsi walked into the auditorium, she nearly had a heart attack at the site of the couple. Everyone knew what was happening be tween Troy and Sharpay. _Everyone_. Especially Gabriella. Everyone had witnessed the hostility within East High's golden couple. Now to see them having fun with one another, flirting and interacting... it was both a shock and relief to Kelsi. She almost didn't want to interupt them.

"What's up, you guys?" she said. Troy and Gabriella looked up at her.

"Oh, you're here!" Gabriella exclaimed. "Good, we're ready to start."

"Okay, then," Kelsi agreed.

* * *

That Friday, Troy and Gabriella went on their anticipated date. Troy showed up at Gabriella's house, this time with a bouquet of actual flowers.

"Oh, they're gorgeous!" Gabriella cried at the sight of the daisy-peony ensemble. She fled with the flowers to the kitchen to quickly put them in a glass of water. Grabbing her purse from the kitchen counter, she ran out the front door with Troy.

They went to dinner at a fancy seafood place that Troy had chosen -- a lapse in judgement, considering Gabriella severely disliked seafood of any kind. But it was the thought that counted to Gabriella.

"You know, Gabriella, I'm really sorry about the past few months," Troy apologized as they waited for their food to arrive.

"I know."

"But despite my negligence, I hope you'll believe me when I say that I most definitely did not cheat on you."

"I know," Gabriella said again, reaching across the table to take hold of his hand. They grinned at each other.

Then the waitress came to deliver their orders: lobster for Troy and chicken fingers for Gabriella. They ate in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. When they'd finished, and Troy had paid for everything, they got back in Troy's truck and headed for the local movie theater.

Since Troy had picked dinner, Gabriella naturally insisted on choosing the movie, a romantic comedy. Troy purchased the tickets and walked hand and hand with Gabriella into the respective theater. There were only a few minutes left until the movie was to start, and they sat making small talk. When the room had darkened completely, Troy slipped his arm around the back of Gabriella's neck, and she consequently leaned over, snuggling into his chest.

It was within the first half of the movie that Gabriella felt the impulse to kiss Troy, and she lightly did so with a slight peck. A moment later, the action was repeated. This process continued for a few short minutes before the kisses progressively got hungrier. Soon, Gabriella was out of her seat, straddling Troy's waist. He bit her bottom lip, and as she let out a gasp, he slipped his tongue in.

The movie playing in the background had long since been forgotten, and when it ended and all of the lights came back on, they realized what had happened.

"Sorry," they said at the same time, both of them trying to surpress their smiles as they let out quiet chuckles. Gabriella gave Troy one more kiss before climbing off of her spot on his lap. They grabbed their few belongings and left the theater.

When Troy's truck pulled up in front of Gabriela's house, he got out of the car to walk his girlfriend to the door.

"Again, Gabriella, I'm sorry for all the drama lately."

"It's okay." She leaned up and gave him one final soft kiss, then took out her key and entered the house, closing the door behind her.

Her mother sat in the living room, smiling as Gabriella walked in.

"So, how did it go?"

"It was amazing," Gabriella swooned before marching up the stairs and slamming her bedroom door as soon as she was safely inside.

She fished through her purse for her cell phone, and after finding it, she flipped it open and dialed a number.

"Hello?"

"Ryan, it's Gabriella," she said without emotion.

"Oh! Hi! Listen, Gabs. I really want to apologize for this morning. I--"

Gabriella cut him off: "Forget it, Ryan. Whatever plan we once had... is over." And with that, she sternly slammed her phone shut.

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**I really hate Troy in this chapter. Well, I hate him in the whole story. Don't blame him, though. His assholiness is all my fault ;D Look forward to Emily's chapter next!**

**x sam**


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